Radiation therapy involves medical procedures that selectively deliver high doses of radiation to certain areas inside a human body. A radiation machine for providing radiation therapy includes an electron source that provides electrons, and an accelerator that accelerates the electrons to form an electron beam. The electron beam is delivered downstream where it strikes a target to generate radiation. The radiation is then collimated to provide a radiation beam having a certain desired characteristic for treatment purpose.
Radiation may also be used to provide imaging of a patient so that internal tissue may be visualized.
Medical systems that provide radiation, either for treatment or for diagnostic imaging, have a radiation system configured to provide and accelerate electrons for generating radiation. The radiation system may have an electron gun that generates the electrons, an accelerator that accelerates the electrons, and a microwave device (e.g., a Magnetron) configured to provide microwave power for the accelerator. In some cases, the radiation system may also include a modulator for providing input for the magnetron and the electron gun. Use of the radiation system may result in radiated electromagnetic radiation due to high voltage pulses resulted from the operation of the modulator with the magnetron and the electron gun.